The Met Police confirmed they are looking to speak to the owner of the unleashed dog that killed Freddy the seal.
MailOnline reported that officers are investigating the death and ‘looking to identify witnesses and to speak to the owner of the dog involved’ amid warnings that attacks from unleashed pets are on the rise during the lockdown.
Horrifying pictures showed the sealed being mercilessly mauled by a brown cross-breed at around 12.45 pm on Sunday. Onlookers including a passing vet rushed over to release the dog’s clamped jaws, unfortunately, the seal later had to be euthanized after suffering horrendous injuries.
A woman, who had a lead attached to a belt, was later seen with what appeared to be the same dog in her arms, it is not yet confirmed if she is the pet’s owner.
Some people took to Twitter to share their tributes and of the beloved seal.
Josh Fraser tweeted: “RIP #freddietheseal people who own dogs that attack people/wildlife should be banned from owning pets for life, first a dear in Richmond park, now a poor seal in Hammersmith, when will it stop? When a child dies? Will they just fine the owner and move on? This needs to be fixed.”
Freddie’s death prompted widespread calls for dog owners to keep their animals on a leash if they cannot be controlled while others called for the dog owner to be prosecuted.